High explosive



Patented July 20, l926.

. l,593,ll5

PATENT OFFICE.

FREDRICH OLSEN, 0]? DOVER, NEW JERSEY.

HIGH EXPLOSIVE.

No Drawing.

Application filed October 30, 1923. Serial No. 671,750.

(GRANTED UNDER THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1883; 22 STAT. 1'4. 625.)

The subject matter of the present inven tion is a high explosive.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of an explosive which will be extremely powerful when properly detonated and which at the same time will be highly insensitive to shock. K

A further object is the manufacture of such an explosive by the combination of an highly explosive substance and' an absorbent material.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my. invention resides in the novel a1 rangement and combination of ingredients and in the details of preparation hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood, that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In selecting an explosive for a shell filer it is essential that the substance chosen be not only powerful enough to burst the shell, into the maximum number of eifective fragments but also be insensitive to the shocks of ordinary usage and transportation. It

has been discovered after considerable experimentation that if a. high explosive substance be mixed with an absorbent material in the proper proportions, an explosive will be produced which will generate great power when properly detonated but which at the same time will be extremely insensitive to shock.

A number of mixtures have ,been employed. These have all been found to meet the requirements for a shell filler. One which has proven successful in practice is that in which trinitrotoluene and sawdust are combined in the proportions of 95% and 5%, respectively.

My invention is not limited, however, to the mixture given" above neither in the ingredients used, nor in the proportions employed. For the trinitrotoluene, any other suitable explosive such as a nitronaphthalene, trinitroxylene, 'amatol, etc., may be substituted and instead of sawdust, such absorbent and carbonaceous materials as vegetable ivory, ground wood pulp, kieselguhr, etc., may be employed. The percentage of absorbent, moreover, may be varied within very wide limits, as much as 10% of sawdust or other absorbent. being found effective in certain cases.

Such mixtures have been found to have many desirable qualities. In filling the shells, cavitation is reduced or even entirely eliminated; exudation of trinitrotoluene or other oily explosives is prevented; the time of loading is greatly reduced owing to the rapid solidification of the charge; the de gree of fragmentation of the shell is practically the same as when the explosive compound alone is employed and the mixture is very insensitive to shock. Indeed so insensitive to shock is this mixture that it has been found that a shell filled with 95% T. N. T. and 5% sawdust will penetrate 1 inch armor plate without detonating.

V'Vhile my invention is intended primarily for use in the preparation of explosive charges for shells it is by no means intended to limit it to this use and other uses will in the proportions of 95% and 5% respectively.

2. A new explosive compound consisting of a mixture of trinitrotoluene and sawdust.

3. A new'explosive compound consisting of a mixture of trinitrotoluene and a carbonaceous material.

4. A new explosive compound consisting of a mixture of trinitrotoluene and an absorbent material.

5. A new explosive compound consisting of 'a mixture of a nitroaromatic compound and a carbonaceous material.

6. A new explosive compound consisting of a mixture of a nitroaromatic compound and an absorbent material. v

7 A new explosive compound embodying a mixture of from 90% to 95% of high explosive and from 5% to 10% of sawdust.

8. A new explosive compound embodying a mixture of high explosive and from 5% to 10% of sawdust.

9. A new explosive compound embodying a mixture of from 90% to 95% of high ex plosive and from 5% to 10% of carbonaceous material.

10. A new explosive compound consisting of a mixture of from 90% to 95% highexplosive and from 5% to 10% of absorbent 

